While the US debates the severity of climate change concerns, major cities face challenges with communicating just how urgent sustainability issues are to their stakeholders. We have a lot of hurdles to overcome, from modernizing water and transportation infrastructure, to improving urban design and feeding our steadily growing populations.

Municipalities are on the front lines of the climate change fight. While it has been found that they generate up to 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, those living in the metropolitan urban centers surprisingly have smaller carbon footprints than national averages, according to the International Institute for Environment and Development. In most cases, cities, counties, and other political subdivisions are like any other commercial insureds. They have many of the same procurement, claim, and coverage problems encountered by typical businesses, and here in Massachusetts they can greatly benefit from coverage solutions from an Insurance Agent near Boston.

Recent water contamination issues have been reported

We know that environmental issues, such as the Flint water crisis, can create not only a dangerous scenario, but the discovery of high lead levels in the tap water of Flint, Michigan, unleashed a floodgate of lawsuits on behalf of aggrieved residents. Just last year, lead was also connected to Boston’s drinking and tap water through older lead service pipes and lead-containing plumbing. When corrosion control measures put in place by the municipality fail, lead leaches into the drinking water, and can reach dangerous levels.

Currently, 10% of samples analyzed for lead in Boston’s drinking and tap water were found to be over 6.9 parts per billion. Though Boston’s water quality is currently in compliance with federal regulations, EPA and CDC both acknowledge that there is no safe level of lead, and federal regulations do not take into account levels measured at an individual tap.

Environmental compliance is a must. Every municipality must do their part to reduce air pollution from the largest sources, ensure that energy extraction activities comply with existing laws, reduce any risk of accidental releases of hazardous chemicals from industrial and chemical plants, and prevent animal waste from contaminating surface and ground water.

The health of our citizenry depends on it, and primarily the children who are perhaps most susceptible to illness and even death. Municipalities must address these issues and can speak to an Insurance Agent near Boston to get specifics on the type of coverage that best addresses these concerns.